The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/956415
62 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2018 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan's 2019 class will likely be a small one, perhaps only two players (or less). In fact, the Wol- verines are technically full for the next two years after signing a five- man 2018 group. But there's always attrition, which is why U-M head coach John Beilein has already extended three offers in the junior class. Glens Falls (N.Y.) High standout shooting guard Joe Girard III is the most recent, and he is his state's Ga- torade Player of the Year as a junior. He put up ridiculous numbers this year, averaging 50.1 points per game, and has picked up offers from Duke, Oklahoma, Ohio State and others in addition to U-M. Girard scored 60 points in a sec- tional quarterfinal game and fol- lowed up with 56 in a semifinal loss that ended his season Feb. 26. He buried his 11th triple of the game to cut a four-point deficit to one with 17.9 seconds remaining, but it wasn't enough in an 87-82 loss to Schenect- ady (N.Y.) Schalmont. The 6-1 standout, a Rivals.com three-star prospect, has already moved on to spring AAU ball with the Albany City Rocks. He'll likely pick up even more offers — most of his big ones came in two-week span that started with Beilein's offer in late January. "That one week, week and a half was pretty crazy, to say the least," he said. "It wasn't that it was a surprise. The whole way it happened was sur- prising, though, and the way it came was kind of surreal and amazing. "Coach B led it off after he watched one of my games, then all the others rolled in to watch. It was five or six in one week. My dad and I were like, 'Holy cow — it's time to get serious, I guess.'" His father, Joe Girard Jr., played for Beilein at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., several years ago and considers him a good friend. Still, Girard is keeping an open mind in the process. He had Duke's Cameron Crazies chanting his name and im- ploring him to 'come to Duke' during one visit, he's been to Ohio State and will likely have more trips to take this summer. Girard did grow up rooting for Michigan because of his dad's con- nection with Beilein, and he's build- ing a relationship with his dad's for- mer coach. "Coach B just does a really good job of winning," Girard said. "The second year in a row, they won the Big Ten Tournament. He does a really good job in March of getting his team focused and winning some games. He prepares his guys each time out. "Michigan just speaks for itself. They've had a lot of guards that played there before just like me, who can shoot the ball and run the of- fense. It's not always about scoring, but running the offense." Beilein sees him as a great fit, and Girard believes he could be, too. Michigan has also offered two other 2019 standouts, New Haven (Mich.) 6-5 shooting guard Romeo Weems, a five-star prospect the No. 26 overall player in his class according to Rivals.com, and Mark "Rocket" Watts, a 6-2, 160-pound guard from out of Detroit Old Red- ford Prep who is listed as a four-star recruit and the No. 64 overall pros- pect nationally. Watts was on campus for the Wol- verines' February win over Ohio State and likes Michigan. "He's playing well," Old Redford coach Craig Covington said in late February. "He's right at about 28 a game, about five or six assists, 6.5 rebounds per game. He's shooting well, too, overall about 62 percent and about 39 percent from three- point range." Watts scored 12 points in a Class B district championship game March 9 at Detroit Mumford. He also netted 26 in a 68-59 win over Purdue-bound Trevion Williams and Detroit Henry Ford (14-8) March 12. Watts called the Michigan offer "a big one" when he picked it up last summer. Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, TCU and others have offered, and he's been to MSU several times and saw Missouri in November. "I know he has some schools in mind, but what he wants to do is concentrate and win a state cham- pionship, play the spring session of AAU on the circuit and then see where he stands," Covington said. BASKETBALL RECRUITING Class Of 2019 Offerees Put Up Huge Numbers Rivals.com rates Detroit Old Redford Prep 6-2 guard Mark "Rocket" Watts — who holds a U-M offer — as a four-star talent and the No. 64 overall player in the class of 2019. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM